The Pirate's Sea-Maiden
by princesshyuuga01
Summary: "Touch me again and I'll make fish fillets from that beautiful tail of yours," he warned. Tenten gulped. It was nothing personal, the Akatsuki simply did not dabble in or do business with the supernatural. But if Konohapolis threw in the potential for Orochimaru's capture and subsequent death by the hands of the Akatsuki, then they just might have a deal... [Slight HidaTen]
1. The Calling

**The Calling**

The water had looked flat as a looking glass.

The storm began as a whispering in the air. A flash of silver touched the sky. Then a winnowing wind spawned and sighed, rippling the surface of the dead-calm sea.

Dark clouds obscured the moon and churned grimly. They coughed out great gouts of water as the turbulent, undulating ocean was painted silver by thunderheads. It casted shivers of light with a ghostly glow on the pear wood structure of the oldest active—and still the most notorious—pirate vessel that operated around the Fire Country.

The Akatsuki.

Its signature black sails rippled violently against the gale-force winds. Although usually rigged for a large fore-and-aft mainsail, it could easily be altered for various sail combination. The huge bowsprit also added more canvas for maneuverability. The rain whipped down like crystal nails on the deck, and streaky lightning emblazoned the sky, highlighting the scarlet clouds scattered amongst the dark cloth.

The craft suddenly roiled. Deidara teetered, trying to catch his balance but landed with a thud on his backside.

Tenten had no opportunity to catch herself before she toppled into Hidan. The pistol she held flew from her hand to land beyond reach and because he was braced against the wall, he was as steady as a rock, his arms strong as they came around her.

She cursed the heavy boarding ax and pike that were hooked through the thick belt at her waist, and the brass-barreled flintlock that stuck out of those baggy, too-large pants she stole.

"It looks like you've been disarmed," he said, grinning arrogantly. His voice was low, husky and his breath slithered like snakes across her face. "There's nowhere to run girlie—" her eyebrows rose, then wrinkled in pain as Tenten found herself being held tighter. The shark's tooth that threaded on a fishing line which served as her necklace dug into her skin. "—unless you plan on throwing yourself overboard."

She swallowed hard. Disappearing into the inky depths of those waters was the last thing on her mind, it was still too traumatized and fresh with the memory of those wide coral hallways, the long, narrow tunnels between floors—they had seemed so endless the last time she swam through the palace. Perhaps it was because it had been filled with dazed and wounded courtiers, some with slit throats and amputated tails. Perhaps it was the horrible sight that had greeted her at the far end of the hall.

Her mother, lying on the floor by her throne, thrashing her tail wildly—her scales like the bright, winking copper of new pennies, gleamed in the underwater light. Her eyes had rolled back in her head and froth flecked her lips. Her usually flawless olive-hued complexion was wan with impending death. The white sea-silk robe she wore—embroidered with gold thread, capiz shells, and pearls had been stained with blood where a poisoned arrow had pierced her chest.

She clawed at the monster above her but it was to no avail. Her strength had been sapped.

" _There's no way to run,"_ the creature had screeched.

His black hair fell down his scrawny shoulders. He had a sallow face pocked by burns from her mother's flame-magic, nostrils but no nose, a mouthful of sharp teeth and an impossibly long purple tongue. His small, brutal amber eyes were as transparent as jellyfish. Tenten had seen the network of veins running through them, pulsing with brown blood. Hard, bony grey plates, like the chitin of a crab, covered his body. He carried a double-headed ax, its blades curved like crescent moons. He rose it above her mother's half-dead body and—

Tenten's stomach squeezed with apprehension. A small shiver went through her even now as she pushed the memory to the farthest corner of her mind. She had been warned by Hyuuga-sama that, any contact with the ocean would not only reverse the spell he casted to give her human limbs, but it could also put her at the risk of being discovered by her enemies.

Looking around, she realized that it may not have been a wise decision to stow aboard the first strange structure that docked on the coast of the small island she had been seeking refuge on. Her presence went undetected by its three occupants for five entire days until a dark haired klutz with an eye-patch—whose name she learned was Tobi—stumbled upon her stealing bread from the cabin which served as a makeshift kitchen. And from there, well, she wished the rest had been history.

"Unhand me," she did not raise her voice; she did not have to. Her fury was evident in every line of her rigid body—in the dangerous currents that glittered in her eyes.

"Or what?" his hands rose to grip her shoulders, holding her firm when she tried to shrug him off.

His eyes lasered into her. They were rose-coloured and yet oddly intimidating—overpowering. Her mind was reeling. Out of all the insane things to do at the moment all she could do was stare at him.

Stare at six foot of lean packed male, sheathed in his flowing white shirt that must've seen better days. His unscarred cheek was bruised from the slap she gave him. He wore a gold ring through his left earlobe. She'd never known a man to wear an earring. It made him seem all the more wicked. Made her heart hammer all the harder. White hair immaculately cut and slicked back, it was the only neat thing about him. And a face—Tenten's stomach clenched—a face that widened her eyes involuntarily.

A strong blade of a nose, high cheekbones, steel-jaw and sculpted, sensual mouth. She gulped mentally. Then, with a jolt of effort, she dragged her mind away. Her tongue came out to lick her dry lips and she cleared her throat quietly before barking out, "Or I'll make you regret it—"

"Tough words, considering whose fucking ship you're on," he regarded her with an insolent grin. Those dark long-lashed eyes rested on her, and sucked hers into his pink gaze. For a blinding moment it felt intimate—shockingly, searingly intimate. As if there was no one else there at all. As if his eyes were branding her. "Pretty little things like yourself only serve one purpose on-board the Akatsuki."

Her breath caught audibly. Then her face contorted. She shuddered in horror, feeling her skin flush. "You filthy pirate scum!"

His mouth came down brutally to silence her. Tenten stood shocked into immobility. She could feel her chest was tight, her nerves taut. The hands gripping her shoulders pulled her close, crushing her breasts to his chest.

She felt suffocated. His mouth was bruising hers painfully and she hated it, hated the feel of his body pressed so close to hers. The fact that they were so similar in height brought something of his probing directly at the portal he sought, and she hated that most, for she was not ignorant of the ways between a human man and a woman. Her mother, had long ago explained all aspects of lovemaking to her, but this could not be called that, not when she felt only revulsion.

Of all creatures, humans were the most sickening.

She damned his brawny strength and broke his hold on her. Reaching down, she snatched the knife from inside her boot and had it at his throat before he realized. She took keen satisfaction in watching his smile dim.

Suddenly, a pistol was pressed against her temple. Deidara had apparently not only recovered from his spill but recovered the pistol as well. "Drop your weapon."

Fear rippled through her and she felt her heart crunch in her chest. When he switched the safety off his gun, Tenten's stomach hollowed. She had extensive enough knowledge on human weapons to know what that clicking sound meant. "Is this how you treat your guests?"

"You are not a guest," Hidan said, and there was something in his voice that crawled over her skin, "For all we know you could be a spy."

His eyes rested on her, and for a moment two spots of colour burned in her cheeks as her lips pressed together tightly.

The ship dipped again, and Tenten scurried forward. She heard the groaning as though the craft was protesting its treatment by the sea.

Hidan hissed.

To her horror, blood trailed down his throat. She'd accidentally cut him. "Oh God!"

"God can't save you now." Words seared from his mouth, twisted in fury, and his eyes darkened. "Throw the moocher overboard," The command grounded from him, enraged. "We haven't got enough rations to feed an extra mouth for the seven days that it'll take us to get to Konohagakure."

"What?" she blanched. Inwardly she was rummaging through files of memory to figure out why _Konohagakure_ resonated so much with her. At long last she came to a recent log—a conversation with Hyuuga-sama. He said his nephew, Hyuuga Neji would be waiting for her there—said she'd be safe with him.

"What?" Hidan echoed sneeringly, his breath razored from him. "You fucking heard me. I don't know how you got onboard but I can tell you how you're getting off." He indicated with a long finger to the angry, dark tides.

Something quite different from shock at his callousness numbed her. Something that made her whole body—her whole being—quiveringly, shakingly aware of the tall, dark figure that dominated the deck—taking it over.

Her eyes were drawn helplessly, hopelessly, to his planed face, its features stark with fury. Even consumed with anger as he was, she could feel her senses leap at the sight of him. She didn't know why. Intrigue was not something she had ever felt towards a human being before.

"I'm sorry," she found herself apologizing.

"What the fuck are you sorry about?" Derision etched his face then he gave a harsh, vicious laugh. "Saying that won't change my mind," Contempt dripped from his voice, lacing the anger beneath with savagery. "Our captain won't take kindly to the presence of any foreign object on his ship that doesn't sparkle or shine either."

Tenten's face set. She shut her eyes. Negotiation was her best bet at staying alive. She knew from eavesdropping on previous conversations between him and his comrades that their voyage had not produced a single item of value. "If its gold you want, I can provide you with that."

He stilled. Then, as she watched him, feeling her heart pumping in her chest, another laugh broke from him. She could only stare. It was a harsh, mocking laugh.

His hands curved over her shoulders like talons of steel. "And where exactly are you hiding that gold?"

Her mouth thinned to a white line and she maintained a dignified silence. If she appeared too anxious to initiate a trade-off then he may call it a bluff.

He stared her. There was nothing in his eyes. Then, as if every word were costing him, he spoke. "Do I look like a fucking pushover to you—?" His voice broke off. A deep, ragged breath was inhaled. His eyes went down to the length of her body. "Exactly what kind of gold are you offering?" he intoned again, his voice stranger than ever.

Her throat closed over and all she managed was a feeble, "You swine!"

The ship lurched again and Tenten grabbed the table to steady herself and prevent her fall. It was bolted to the floor, unlike the chairs and barrels of gunpowder that scattered across the planked flooring. She watched in horror as huge swells crashed over the sides of the ship, knocking Tobi off his feet—well, his foot, considering that one leg was wooden. Deidara scrabbled to latch onto anything that would keep him anchored.

Tenten bolted inside, to higher ground, fearful of the water. She heard Hidan shouting the order to batten down and watched as Tobi began hammering closed hatches—as Deidara climbed the rigging, to secure the sails.

The ship heaved and tossed in the rising swell of the sea, the brine hissed and sissed, lashing in their faces, bringing fever in their eyes.

"Tobi thinks a storm is coming!"

"No fucking shit Sherlock!" Hidan growled sarcastically, rushing to grip the spinning-out-of-control tiller with his naked fingers. Lacerating rain stung his bare arms like ice burn and the sea throbbed grey with woe.

"Deidara-sempai, should we still throw the woman overboard?" Tobi asked loudly, above the rumble of thunder. His eyes flashed like dark lightning, in fact he sounded a little too thrill over the prospect. "Tobi thinks if we feed her to the sea, it won't eat the ship."

"Shut the fuck up and concentrate!" Hidan scowled. "Or I'll be feeding you to the sea!"

They could barely make out the path ahead, it was constantly being cloaked with each mountainous rise of waves that cause the timber planks of the Akatsuki to buckle and bulge; creak and shudder.

"I don't know what Captain was thinking, sending us out to sea in this piece of old junk." He rasped, tightening his grip on the horizontal bar fitted to the boat's rudder post—steering because their lives depended on it.

Twenty feet long with a top speed of over 10 knots, the Akatsuki could easily launch lightning-swift attacks, avoiding broadsides, and outrun pursuits but it couldn't weather a little bad weather. It was ridiculous, he found himself thinking as the boat bobbed like a cork upon the sea.

"Where's that fucking woman?" Hidan bit out, his salt-stung eyes were hard as they scanned the area. "If we're lucky she may have already been swept away—"

A wall of water suddenly reared up before the ship, it sent a pole crashing down onto the flooded deck.

"Fuck!"

The wind howled out their doom and Tenten couldn't help but think the lapping waves were really searching for her—like they had somehow sensed her presence and wanted to lure her to their master. The dark whispered to her. She felt it creeping closer, sliding along the surface of the sea in a fog. It hungered, licking along her skin. Cold, tempting kisses. Her death would feed it—could save three lives.

She took a heavy breath and unawaringly stepped down and out into the open. As if compelled, her arms lifted and her hair snapped out of the confines of its buns, flying wildly in the darkness that called upon her. She was immediately caught by the strong gale and smashed against the railing, the breath knocked out of her. She fell to her knees.

The water glowed where it surrounded her legs and the sea howled in response, the boat shuddered beneath her.

"What the fuck are you doing? Get back inside!" Hidan barked at her, snapping her out of her trance.

Struggling for breath, she glanced up and saw that he was still at the helm. The lightning flashed, outlining the concentration on his face. She looked in the direction he was gazing, and her stomach roiled as forcefully as the ocean.

Before he could even react to the morphing of her limps back into its beautiful copper tail with its soft coral pink and green glinted fins, the Akatsuki rose with the swell, inclining upwards to its destruction. It propelled up onto the lip and hovered there as if suspended in time.

A whirlpool gaped under the vessel with dire-white jaws. It roiled and spun, inviting them in. Then they plummeted down into its milky depth, swallowed whole in a final, terrible, squeak of timber.

The thunder seemed to rumble her name in triumph.

* * *

 **A/N: I know. I know. Why the fuck am I posting new garbage when I've yet to update all my other shit? I honestly can't even answer that. My muse is currently in a coma and the bitch refuses to wake up. Ugh! I've lost a considerable amount of interest in the Naruto fandom. Tenten is the only thing keeping my account alive.**

 **Why the fuck am I writing supernatural shit? I am testing new waters...and drowning, because this was an epic fail. If at all you find this worthy of an update, leave me a review or follow :) The title is subjected to change because its sounds fucked (-_-)**


	2. Answered

**Answered**

The sky shook with the cry of thunder and lightning flashed like a serpent of brilliant light sent to bite the earth.

Dark indigo water enveloped Hidan, the incredible pressure compressing his chest, forcing his lungs to burn as if on fire. His head was pounding, every cell in his body screaming for oxygen. His throat seared in agony with the rising pressure of trapped air—now turned toxic carbon dioxide.

His white head pounded with panic, threatening to explode any second, so he gave into the pressure and took a breath of air. Icy cold water thrust up his nostrils, a stream cascaded into the back of his throat and nose, sending jets of pain through his body.

Slowly, the chaotic sounds of the storm and the creak of the ship's remains as it is gobbled up by the sea drowned out to a low hum. The buzzing at his ears gradually tethered into silence, one with the darkness.

He had no other choice than to give up thrashing and allow the water to hold his body in a sustained position beneath the sea.

As his vision blurred out and his consciousness faltered, his body became numb and he waited for the numbing hands of death to suck out what little life was left in him.

But it didn't come.

What he felt instead were human hands circling his waist, a body pressing into his back and himself being pulled to the surface.

His mind flashed with memory.

He had been at the helm, trying to turn the ship, when he saw that girl go down. After seeing her slammed into the deck, he had known she wouldn't have had the strength to hold on when the wave crashed down on them.

He had left his post and thrown himself around her, shielding her and holding on to the ropes securing the barrels to the side of the ship. He remembered the lash of the wave, as brutal as any beating he had ever been given. And the scent of cherries. Even in the raging storm, he'd somehow smelled her.

He smelled her still, even as his lethargic body emerged to the surface—to the harsh smell of salt and burning wood. Hidan didn't dare think about what must've become of her. At least one of his comrades survived he thought, brimming with relief as he felt something warm brush lightly across his brow.

He just hoped it wasn't Tobi. A sprained ankle was better company.

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

And there she was, pressing a glowing palm to his forehead. His felt the throbbing in his head and the stinging sensation in his nose and lungs receding. Before his scattered thoughts could gather into words, she retracted her hand. They shook violently as she did so and he knew it had nothing to do with the cold. In fact, he hadn't felt the cold until her touch was loss to him. It was strange.

"I'm sorry this is my fault," her voice was sharp and nervous. "I shouldn't have stowed aboard your ship. Now we're all in danger."

"In danger?" he grasped her shoulders. Her skin was soft and smooth beneath his hands.

Her lids were closed over her brown, expressive eyes, her lips slightly parted and the top of her breast quickly rising and falling above the low cut of the tank top she wore. It seemed to have materialized on her form. That wasn't what she had been wearing moments ago on the ship, he recalled.

"What are you talking about?" he encouraged throatily.

Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at him, wide dark pools of shocked horror and confusion. "You can understand me?" she asked, eyes as restless as her frazzled nerves now. "You shouldn't be able to, at least not when I'm in this form."

The wind arose, rippling the surface of the waters and crashing it against their bodies in angry waves.

Hidan frowned, "What form? what—" he swallowed at the sight of the huge wave rising behind her.

Except that it wasn't a wave.

Thick icy sheets of rain were obscuring his vision, but he was almost certain that what he saw could not be considered a thing either. It rose to about thirteen feet in the air.

Hidan didn't know which terrified him more: the sight of the creature that latched its arm around the girl's neck—yanking her out of the water and suspending her in the air—or the sight of the girl's tail. It thrashed wildly in the air as she fought to break loose. The glints of emerald and pink on her fins sparkled in the moonlight.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Mermaid weren't fucking real. Deidara must've slipped him something and he was stuck in some bizarre dream. That was the only logical explanation for the scene unfolding before him.

"The price on your head is high princess," the thing screeched.

Behind the pinkish-grey lips lay two rows of sharp teeth—those of a predator—undoubtedly used for ripping its preys apart. Its hands were webbed and its own powerful tail was covered in glistening scales of lilac.

"And I see you've brought me dinner as well—"

Shimmering silver scales framed its head like a mane of silver hair from an inch above its beady fish eyes, up over its head and down past its shoulders. It carried skin that was steely grey, not shiny like the scales and had a rubbery look quite like a dolphin. Its nose was small and flattened with small nostrils and a mouth so wide it stretched right around to where its jaw bone appeared to join its skull.

"—oh you shouldn't have," the monster gushed sarcastically. "He looks tasty."

Hidan's heart was in his throat as the creature advanced on him, hunger in its cold eyes. Every inch it moved towards him rattled his bones and struck his heart. He tried to dodge a swing from its massive hand, but it struck the side of his head, winding and dizzying him.

"Don't hurt him, Kabuto," Tenten spluttered. "It's me Orochimaru wants."

"Just one taste," it croaked. "I hear humans are particularly scrumptious when they're soaked in salt water and seasoned with fear."

"No," she gasped in horror. "Leave him out of this!"

"His bones would make fine toothpicks for Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto's laughter sliced through the air. Then he was stroking the length of her with his big, free hand. "And your pretty head would look lovely beside that of your mother's on our shelf."

Hidan felt a chill clutch his insides. "Put her down you fucking ugly beast," he growled, reaching down into the water and into the holster strapped to his hip.

Cruel black eyes snapped back to him, "Is that hair colour of yours natural?" he asked in an offhand manner. "Aged humans give me acid indigestion."

"I couldn't give less of a fuck about that," he drew out a pistol and fired.

Suddenly his hold on Tenten relented and he doubled over as if in great pain. She knew that pain. It tore inside like a sharp silver hook. She quickly swam over to Hidan, "Are you hurt?"

"What is that thing?" he demanded, looking at her sharply. "What are you?" Before Tenten had the chance to answer he fired a shot over her shoulders. "Get behind me," he ordered.

"You fool," she snapped. "A mere mortal weapon like that won't kill him."

"Then what will?" he asked urgently.

Her response was't immediately. She looked down for a second before bringing her head back up, her eyes intense. She seemed to ponder something for a while before finally taking an audible breath, "Get behind me."

Tenten didn't give him the opportunity to challenge the request. She forced him behind her and as Kabuto rose back to his full height—bleeding brown blood through the holes in his chest—she gave a wrenching cry and wove her voice into a chant.

She swept a graceful hand out in front of her, curving vortices out of the water. It seemed to bend at her will, folding over itself until it refracted light. Her voice was soaring by then, ranging up and down octaves effortlessly.

She bent the water again and again, and a dozen more times until it solidified, cracked and broke into sharp shards that shot straight in Kabuto's direction.

They speared the water shield he had conjured up and pierced his flesh. He released a shrilling wail.

When the fog and frost that resulted from the collision dispersed, blood was streaking from his lips and dripping from his nose. Bruises mottled a third of his face and he was panting.

"You think a little weak spell like that is going stop me?" he howled, yanking out the shards that had managed to impale him. "Is this what they teach you in Mer School? Your teachers are slacking off," he said, clicking his tongue.

Hidan's hand closed over her shoulders, as if he was bracing them both for something horrible.

Tenten shrugged him off and with a speed he barely registered, she dispossessed him of the knife in his pocket and turned to Kabuto, smirking. "They might've been, but my mother certainly hadn't."

"Your mother was nothing but a sea-witch—" he bit out; the mockery in his eyes was callous. "—an abomination."

Her eyes flashed, "My mother was the greatest queen that Konohapolis has ever seen," she declared tightly. Too tightly—as if her throat had suddenly narrowed. She felt a sting in the back of her eyes at his naked contempt. "She served her people well."

"Served them well?" his eyes rested on hers. "What she served them was a plate of lies. For centuries your family deceived our kind. They used their position and influence to restrict all merfolk outside the royal kin from wielding magic."

Bitterness was like gall in her throat. "It was for the sake of preventing power-hungry monsters like Orochimaru from being born."

His eyes darkened but a half a smile tugged at his lips. "Your family fed off the magic of their own people and tricked them into thinking it was a rarity to be born with special powers," he laughed. "You all made yourselves out to be heroes—unique. Who are the power-hungry monsters now?"

Having heard enough, Tenten held the blade in her right hand, and turned her left palm up. Without flinching, she drew it across her flesh. Her blood spiraled through the water, forming a huge crimson arrow-like mirage on the ocean's surface. Suddenly the image seemed to manifest—take on a form; sleek and black—and hurtled out the water to lodged itself at Kabuto.

"There's nothing hungry about wanting the power to protect," she told him. "Those who seek strength in order to oppress others are the true power-hunger ones."

His chest heaved, the arrow moving with every breath he took. It had shattered his breastplate and pierced his left side. He touched his fingers to the arrow in hopes of removing it, but immediately recoiled.

"You bitch! What kind of magic is this?" he stared horrified at his scalded hands.

"The kind that's forbidden," Tenten admitted and like the sea pulling the tide back to itself, her flesh summoned the blood's return. It seemed to bleed out from black of the arrow and flow back through the water, back through her wound—to the slashed edges of her palm—it closed and healed.

The arrow imbedded in his flesh changed colours. The white of it was so bright Hidan fancied that it was merely a beam of light. Then a sizzling sound filtered into the air followed by a howl.

Kabuto could only goggle as he felt a searing pain—his very last—before his body burned to ash right on the spot.

Tenten turned warily away from the spectacle, only to find Hidan's pistol aimed at her.

"Lower your weapon," she told him calmly.

He couldn't.

Shock and horror had paralyzed him. It froze the breath in his lungs, even as it made the beat of his heart jolt as if a lightning bolt had struck it.

"Have you lost your mind?" she asked.

"Oh, I hope I fucking have," he said.

His voice was clipped, impatient, as though her question was irrelevant and his answer nothing untoward. His jaw line was taut, as though under tension. His whole body the same. She could see a muscle working in his cheek, his eyes like steel. He was angry but most of all he was frightened.

"What the fuck are you?" his expression changed. Colour drained from his face, leaving it stark and gaunt.

She stared blankly. Not understanding. "You're hurt, let me heal you," she suggested.

He flicked his safety off, desperation for some answers scythed through him. "Touch me and I'll make fucking fish fillets from that beautiful tail of yours," he warned.

Tenten gulped.

* * *

 **A/N: The average word count for the chapters in this story is 1.5k so they are pretty short. Supernatural is not a genre I've really tested before and I don't think I'm doing it much justice…but we'll see how it goes. I know this chapter has probably left you will a couple questions, the most burning one is probably "What the fuck was that?" I don't know myself lol.**

 **Reviews are always appreciated. I'll need the encouragement to continue this.**


	3. Connected

**Connected**

With Kabuto's defeat the turbulent gale gradually faded to a gentle ocean breeze. It whispered like a cruel lover, placing salty kisses of non-reassurance on Tenten's cheeks. She didn't know which terrified her more: the cold metal of the gun mouth pressed against her forehead or the ruthless glare of the pirate as he clicked the safety off to signal that his patience was rapidly depleting.

"Touch me and I'll make fucking fish fillets out of that beautiful tail of yours."

The glare, she decided. It belonged to a human she sensed was not familiar with mercy, given or received. He was breathing heavily, having sustained several blows from Kabuto's onslaught. Or perhaps he was still a little shaken up from the spectacle he had just witness, a mind told her.

A thin diagonal scar marred just above his left brow where he had been hit. While it failed to detract from what might have been a devilishly handsome face. One that would've been swooned over down in Konohapolis―

Young mermaids lose their minds over striking eye colours and white hair.

―here in the open waters of nowhere it served to create the most frightening visage she'd ever encountered.

The small gold ring that went through the lobe of his left ear winked at her whenever it caught the moonlight drifting down through the parting black cloud. As simple as it was, the jewelry somehow made him appear all the more menacing.

She didn't think he was much older than her eighteen years, but his pink eyes were far more ancient and revealed a life that had known little except hardship and callousness. Despite being accustomed to the cold water, chills erupted along her skin and caused her to shiver. She knew compassion was not in his nature. He was a ruthless and barbaric piece of human filth.

Slowly, his gaze roamed over her face, almost as though he was trying to memorize it. Was he serious? Would he severe her tail from the rest of her body and make a meal out of it? She had heard of such things but she didn't know if anything could be worse than being held at gunpoint.

Still she shuddered to think of the consequences of having given away the existence of her kind to humans. Mer-folks would be hauled out of the oceans by the thousands in brutal nets. They'd be bought and sold—confined in small tanks for amusement. Their numbers would decimate like the Tilapias' and the catfishes'. No race of creatures was greedier or more treacherous than the humans. Even sharks took only what they could eat.

But humans, they took everything.

"So I'm filth eh?" He asked in a soft drawl that sent a shiver down her rigid spine. "And I wouldn't dream of eating you. Seafood makes me fucking sick, but I'm sure I could pawn off a few of those scales of yours to pay for ship repairs. Leader-sama is going to go ballistic if he sees this shit."

Aghast that he had somehow and very accurately, at that, read her thoughts, Tenten gasped. "But I didn't say that out loud."

A cold half-smile briefly slanted his hard mouth. "Sure you did."

She shuddered with shock and turbulent confusion. He wasn't supposed to be able to understand Mermish. It was the tongue of her people and could not be interpreted by humans. Once in her current form, speech should be replaced by sounds akin to that of dolphins—at least to the ears of land creatures.

Her chest swelled as she sucked in a heady gush of air. How was this possible? She hadn't sensed anything peculiar about him. And he most definitely wasn't a branch member of the Hyuuga clan. They were the only humans who could speak and comprehend Mermish as they were born to a human and mermaid parent. There would have been a cursed seal on this man's forehead—visible only to natives of Konohapolis—to indicate the suppression of his mer-side and to brand him as an abomination.

"Hyuuga?" Hidan arched a white brow. "Are you talking about that family of haughty pricks from Konohagakure?"

Half-bred Hyuuga children were not permitted to reside in Konohapolis. It was how Konohagakure came into existence. Originally built to accommodate outcasts and forge some kind of connection with the human world, the village eventually grew into one of the Fire Country's largest commercial port. In fact, it had grown so large it was hard for Hiashi-sama to keep track of his branch members.

The quaint little town had transformed into a vast, intricate, labyrinth of noisy, streets and alleys.

Fortunately, in its earlier stages of development the mer-council had instated a Hokage to rule over the village. The practice has since carried on, albeit with a more modern way—through general elections. Every few years Konohapolis ensured that the candidate elected into power was one of their natives. That way they had a say in human politics and were able to monitor the actions of the Hyuuga branch.

If Tenten's memory served correct, the current Hokage was Tsunade.

Hiashi-sama had argued that a loyal Hyuuga branch member—his nephew, Hyuuga Neji—would've been more suited for the job but the council refuted. They claimed there would always be a conflict of interest and that Neji may falsely report on the actions of his kind to protect them from punishment.

Truth be told, there had been instances where the suppression seal broke and exposed mer-folks to humans. Situations like those were easily remedied with memory-erasing spells and re-sealing but the council sanctioned death penalties. Though extremely rare and very unlikely, the breaking of the seal could only be achieved through tampering with it using magic.

Only the royal family was allowed to use magic. Commoners were thought to not possess an ounce of it so when lowly Hyuuga rejects are caught wielding it, the punishment was death.

Hooded pink eyes were studying her, a faint frown-line formed between his brows. "What kind of fucked up law is that?" His gaze dipped to the shark-tooth pendant that hung just below her throat. With his free hand, he slipped his fingers around it. "So that creature had been telling the truth. Your family really does feed off the magic of your subjects?"

Tenten blinked.

"How valuable is this?" he tugged on her necklace, his eyes twinkling.

Dawning realization filled her shocked eyes. Not only could he could understand Mermish, but he could also read her mind. How was this even possible? She mused hectically.

His gaze shot up, his eyes boring into hers. He seemed more menacing than before. "But you can't absorb the magic of those who reside on land can you? That's why such a close eye is kept on these fucking Hyuugas? Is the seal really that volatile?"

She expelled her breath in a thwarted hiss. "How are you doing that?"

Hidan lifted a hand and rested it on her slight shoulder. "Who would've thought the reason those white eyed freaks were so wealthy was because they practiced magic?" Harshly, he laughed. "Kakuzu will have a field day when he learns this."

Tenten was still gaping. "You're reading my thoughts," she told him stiffly.

He slung her a chilling look. One that had her hoping the heat from her muscles would be enough to keep her shivering at bay.

"Reading your thoughts? I'm only repeating your ridiculous story so you could hear for yourself how fucking idiotic you sound," he vented a cruelly amused laugh and raked her with merciless derision. "If Konohapolis existed the Akatsuki would've found it a long time ago. What do you take me for?"

"Are you saying that you don't believe me—" Tenten bit out with clenched fists. Sickly, she shook her head; a dense cloud of spiraling curls the colour of woodland rippling round her rigid shoulders. "—when you've seen firsthand the kinds of being that exist?"

The explosive anger that emanated from her screamed along Hidan's nerve endings like a violent storm warning and he felt himself swallow hard. The woman's anger was lethal. It could burn someone to ash or freeze them on the spot.

"Give me that necklace," he said blankly, suddenly incapable of rational thought. "I require something of value in exchange for my help to get you to Konohagakure."

Silence stretched.

He was doing it again. Reading her mind. Ripping apart defenses that should be impenetrable, even to the supernatural.

"I never asked for your help," her stifled response barely broke the smouldering silence.

"You don't have to," he growled rawly, holding his hands out. Then he held his gun out in a clearly non-threatening manner and he replaced it in the holster on his hips. "That's the reason you snuck unto our ship wasn't it? To go in search of that Hyuuga kid?"

"Here," she said distantly, holding up her right hand to show him the ring she wore on her pinky finger. "Take it. It has got sapphires, much more valuable."

He narrowed his eyes as though he didn't trust her. She suspected pirates trusted no one. "Why offer me something of greater value?" he asked, his voice laced with suspicion.

It was an odd finger to wear a ring.

The pendant—the tooth of a great white shark—was her mother's. It was all that Tenten had left to remember her by.

"You actually want to remember her?" he asked thickly.

It was an even odder question.

"Why would I not?" she prompted.

He looked on the verge of providing an answer before shaking his head and appearing to think better of it. "The Akatsuki's way is to take the fucking finger when we take the ring. If you want to keep your lovely hand whole, you'll have to give me something else of value."

She swallowed hard at the thought of losing her finger, but she couldn't deny the truth. "I have nothing else."

He grinned. A grin more terrifying than his eyes or his pistol. "Oh, but I think you do, didn't you say something about having gold, Princess?" he silkily drew out the title.

Then he eased back, grabbed her hand, and yanked the ring from her finger. He chuckled as though he was privy to some immense joke. Then his laughter abruptly ended, his expression turned solemn and harsh.

"Get me to shore," he commanded. "And release my men from whichever dimension you fucking trapped them in."

Frustration filled her at his lack of reserve when it came to getting inside her head. "They're unharmed. I did it because otherwise they would've—"

"They would've drowned," he finished dryly, unsure why he was able to read her so well but grateful nonetheless.

At least this way she couldn't lie to him about anything. This whole Konohapolis nonsense was far-fetched enough as it already was; the last thing he needed was fall prey to deception because of his lack of understanding or actual belief in such a thing.

"Get out of my head," she gritted her teeth as hot, angry colour drove away her previous pallor.

She couldn't wait to meet up with Neji. Maybe he would be able to discern what kind of being this pirate truly was. It seemed his inhumane nature was just a show that he wasn't human at all.

"You've done us a disservice by saving Tobi but I suppose we'll need the extra hand to repair the ship," he sighed. "Who's the Neji guy that has been running a fucking a mile through your mind?" His hard mouth twisted. "Stop thinking about him, you're starting to give me a fucking headache."

"How are you doing that?" Her tremulous mouth compressed into a bloodless line.

She was so tense, so wound up with fizzing disconcertion that she could hardly breathe. In the grip of intense confusion, she forced herself to stop thinking. If she had any thought at all he would be able to intercept it. It didn't make any sense and was only causing a rise in her temper.

As long as he didn't ask her anything and force her to think then her memories and her deepest secrets would be saved. All she had to do was tell him what he thought he wanted to know so he wouldn't go probing. There were just some things she could not risk being known.

Hidan shrugged, "How the fuck am I supposed to know that? Aren't you the expert on all this shit?"

Tenten dealt him a withering glance but when she spoke her voice was a sick thread of sound. "I guess it isn't important now. I need to get out of these waters. It's not safe for either one of us."

"Surely you don't fucking expect me to swim all the way to shore?" he bit out, looking curiously around him.

Like a baby crawling to its mother, the waves rolled back and forth against their bodies. The water was rough. The thick salty air uncontrollably consumed his breathing until it hurt, the salt mercilessly scouring the back of his throat.

He stared helplessly across the expanse of the ocean that stretched beyond his eyes could see. "Wherever the fuck the shore is," he added bleakly.

"I'll use magic to teleport you to the dimension I've kept your friends," she asserted with raw-edged hauteur. "Then I'll swim to shore and release you there. I'm not that weak from my little scuffle with Kabuto that I can't perform such a simply—"

Scuffle? Is that what she's calling it?

"Why not just magically whisk yourself off to Konohagakure if you possess the power to move through time and space?" he asked belatedly, cutting her off.

"Why don't you just read my mind?" Tenten began heatedly. "I can only transport objects and other people through space," she informed him. "And that too only to places I've been before. I've never set my tailfin near Konohagakure's coast."

A slow smile curved his mouth and he laughed. "Never set your tailfin on Konohagakure's coast, huh? That's a new one. Aren't you just the cutest fucking thing in the sea?"

A flush of pink ran up beneath her skin. "Shut up and let me concentrate."

When he held up his hand in a gesture of surrender Tenten cleared her mind of everything except for the magic. It depended on so many things—the depth of one's gift, experience, dedication, the position of the moon and the rhythm of the tides. It didn't settle until one was fully grown; Tenten knew that. But she needed it to be with her now, and she prayed to the gods that it would be.

Her mother had warned her about using this technique more than twice in a single day.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled on everything strong and sure inside of her, and started to sing. Her voice was high and clear and carried beautifully through the water. She retrieved Hidan's pocket knife and ran the blade across the flesh of her index finger. That was the first rule of sea magic: Nothing came from nothing. Magic needed matter. Tenten's voice caught the blood as it seeped in the water, molded it, and then embellished it with colour and light, until it took on the appearance of a portal.

As her voice rose, the portal enlarged.

It seemed to lead to a small room with grey walls, sparse of anything, safe for Tobi and Deidara. They both looked up in wonderment.

"Where the fuck is that?" Hidan goggled but found the answer in sorrowful way Tenten lowered her eyes. "This is the room you were held captive in when you were younger, wasn't it?" Then he asked, as if the wheels in his mind began to turn. "Shouldn't it be underwater?"

An acid sting of tears burned behind her brown eyes. "I wasn't held captive by mer-people," she grouched.

Before he could get another word out, the portal sucked him in and closed, leaving a thin mist behind.

With a swish of her tail Tenten swam off.

* * *

 **A/N: Be patient, Neji-bae will show up soon ;) Also, please bear in mind that Tenten and Hidan share a bond in this story as well. I wonder if anyone will figure out why he's able to read her mind. *hint hint* it's because of something that happened in chapter one. I really don't know if I'm doing this supernatural theme much justice but I like experimenting. If you're interested in seeing this through, then I'm all for it. Reviews are always appreciated.**


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